TESSA News
National conference to pay tribute to weather pioneer.
Arlington, TX, March 01, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Weather pioneer Alan Moller will be recognized for his lifetime contribution to severe weather education at the TESSA National Storm Conference on Saturday, March 8 at Colleyville Center in Colleyville, Texas. Moller, a meteorologist and senior forecaster at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Ft. Worth, established a formal system to train storm spotters more than 30 years ago. His efforts launched a national campaign to train volunteers how to accurately identify and report severe weather threats.
“Al is one of the most influential people in regards to developing storm spotter training,” said Gary Woodall, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist. “He was the first to bring science into storm spotter training.”
Trained storm spotters represent the first line of defense for the National Weather Service when severe weather threatens a local area, and act as their “eyes and ears” during those critical moments. They are a critical link in the Integrated Warning System (IWS). “Some significant threats, such as tornadoes, must be confirmed via ground truth information,” said Martin Lisius, Texas Severe Storms Association (TESSA) chairman. “It’s something weather radar simply cannot confirm. Al’s contribution to the community is huge. The storm spotter system currently in place across the country is largely a result of his work, and that system is responsible for saving many lives over the years.”
Moller’s appearance at the conference will mark the end of his spotter training career. Since 1976, he has presented approximately 1000 training sessions to groups across several states. “He’s going to leave a big void,” said Woodall. “We have talented people on our staff, but he’ll be missed, undoubtedly.”
The National Storm Conference is expected to draw nearly 500 attendees, including storm spotters, storm chasers, emergency managers, forecasters, researchers, and educators from across the US. The conference will begin with the annual Super Storm Spotter Training Session in the morning, followed by additional presentations by severe weather experts in the afternoon. The conference is free and open to the public.
The Texas Severe Storms Association is a 501(c)3 national non-profit organization dedicated to severe weather education. The group was founded in 1993 and is based in Arlington, Texas. More conference details can be found at the association’s web site, www.tessa.org.
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Contacts:
Martin Lisius, Chairman, TESSA, (817) 276-9500, info@tessa.org
Gary Woodall, WCM, National Weather Service - Ft. Worth, (817) 429-2631
“Al is one of the most influential people in regards to developing storm spotter training,” said Gary Woodall, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist. “He was the first to bring science into storm spotter training.”
Trained storm spotters represent the first line of defense for the National Weather Service when severe weather threatens a local area, and act as their “eyes and ears” during those critical moments. They are a critical link in the Integrated Warning System (IWS). “Some significant threats, such as tornadoes, must be confirmed via ground truth information,” said Martin Lisius, Texas Severe Storms Association (TESSA) chairman. “It’s something weather radar simply cannot confirm. Al’s contribution to the community is huge. The storm spotter system currently in place across the country is largely a result of his work, and that system is responsible for saving many lives over the years.”
Moller’s appearance at the conference will mark the end of his spotter training career. Since 1976, he has presented approximately 1000 training sessions to groups across several states. “He’s going to leave a big void,” said Woodall. “We have talented people on our staff, but he’ll be missed, undoubtedly.”
The National Storm Conference is expected to draw nearly 500 attendees, including storm spotters, storm chasers, emergency managers, forecasters, researchers, and educators from across the US. The conference will begin with the annual Super Storm Spotter Training Session in the morning, followed by additional presentations by severe weather experts in the afternoon. The conference is free and open to the public.
The Texas Severe Storms Association is a 501(c)3 national non-profit organization dedicated to severe weather education. The group was founded in 1993 and is based in Arlington, Texas. More conference details can be found at the association’s web site, www.tessa.org.
###
Contacts:
Martin Lisius, Chairman, TESSA, (817) 276-9500, info@tessa.org
Gary Woodall, WCM, National Weather Service - Ft. Worth, (817) 429-2631
Contact
Texas Severe Storms Association
Tasha Lawless
817-276-9500
www.tessa.org
Tasha Lawless
817-276-9500
www.tessa.org
Contact
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